Haunted Eyes
by Klutzygirl33
Summary: Spoilers for "A New Hope". Artie's acting strangely, and the team is worried about him.


**Disclaimer**: I don't own Warehouse 13 and never will. No copyright infringement intended.

**Author's Note**: Written for the angst_bingo prompt, _loss, _and the hc_bingo wild card, prompt _job-related trauma_.

* * *

Artie Nielsen is not doing so well in the aftermath of the warehouse blowing up, the multiple deaths that ensued, and then going back in time.

His team knows there's something wrong and it's worrying them. They can't figure out what's going on with him or what happened despite asking multiple times - He refuses to answer. They know he's worried about Claudia and what she's going to do, but it's not just that. There's a haunted look in his eyes and he's in a funk, one he tries to snap himself out of when he catches anyone looking at him.

Pete has a bad vibe that will not go away – That he blames on Claudia being missing, but he has a feeling it's also reacting to the Artie situation. He, Myka, and Leena are determined to find out the truth and help him.

Artie knows that his team is worried about him, and it's a vicious cycle because he's constant fear for them. He's worried about Claudia and this evil. And he cannot stop picturing Pete dying. It's ingrained in his mind forever. He's woken up the past several nights because he can't stop dreaming about it. He was right when he told a dying Pete that he would remember. He has a bad feeling that Claudia might not have survived either if he hadn't gone back in time and wonders what would have happened if he hadn't been able to change anything. Would the world have collapsed entirely? He doesn't want to think about it. He's having a hard enough time dealing with what's occurred in the past few days.

Helena corners him after lunch to talk to him – She's been waiting for this chance since the warehouse didn't blow up, but Artie hasn't been alone at all – Until now that is.

"What do you want?" He's clearly jittery and wants to be anywhere but in the room with her (Even after defending her, which is still shocking!), but she doesn't care or question that right now.

"I'm not going to ask you what happened. Clearly, you want to keep that to yourself or you'll inform us when you're ready. But I am willing to listen since you gave me a chance. Don't hold this in – I've learned from experience that it won't end well." She smiled at him and then went off by herself.

Artie lets out a gasp when she disappears from his sight. He doesn't want anyone to know – This is his secret to keep. He knows they know he is hiding something, but if he has his way, they won't find out. Pete shouldn't have to find out that he had died and Myka doesn't have to know that the woman she is in love with had died saving them. He hopes this won't backfire on him (Although it most likely will – It always does, especially with Artifacts.), but he has to try. He wants Claudia safe, doesn't want to think about the supposed evil he has brought into their lives.

Artie is falling apart at the seams and desperately trying not to. Everything fell apart around him and he wants to put his – their? – lives back together. That's the only thing that matters, other than keeping the warehouse safe.

He wants Claudia back home safe because he needs the family back together. He's not sure when they all became a family, but they have, and everything needs to go back to normal.

Meanwhile, Myka has had enough and decides to stop tiptoeing around Artie. She wants to know the truth and will not back down. They're on high alert these days because Artie doesn't want to rest until they find Claudia, but at the same time, there's an Artifact that they need to find. Luckily, HG has decided to follow up on the case so they can locate Claudia. She's their priority at this moment in time.

"Artie, are you sure you're okay? You don't look so good." She worriedly checks him over, trying to find out if he was injured somehow and is hiding it.

He scoffs. "Thank you for yet another inquiry, but I'm fine. Why don't we get back to what we were doing?" Changing the subject works well for him these days. That way, he doesn't have to think about the losses that never were. He needs to focus on something else, something besides Claudia and the fact that he's witnessed several people dying. At least he can bury the hurt this way and maybe life will get easier. He snorts at that, because when has his life ever been easy? He doubts this is going to end well, but at least he can try to put off something bad happening for at least a little while.

"Artie, whenever you want to talk, I'll listen. You don't have to hide anything from me or Pete. Please talk to us." She doesn't like to plead, but this is getting ridiculous. Why won't Artie tell them anything? Has something really bad happened that they don't know about? She's definitely not backing down – She'll just keep bugging him until the truth comes out. Myka doesn't like the way he's reacting to anything lately and she just wants him to get back to normal.

He sighs. "Myka, thank you for the offer, but I'm fine. Honestly." He's going to snap if people keep asking if he's okay. He's happy that they're worried, but they're also hovering and driving him crazy with questions. And he's not about to put all his problems on them – They need to stay innocent in all of this in case it backfires. That way, they won't go down with him. He already figures that Claudia situation is going to end badly – She'll bring Steve back somehow, and then will most likely go down a dark path. And he doesn't want her to be evil, but he's not sure that they'll be able to stop her in time. It's worrying him beyond belief.

Artie left and then ran into Pete a few minutes later, questioning his luck. Was everyone bound and determined to help him?

"Don't worry; I'm not going to bug you since that's what you seem to be worried about." Pete just grinned and hugged him, then walked away happy. He hopes a hug will help Artie, and it does, at least for a few seconds. Artie wills the hug to overtake the memories of Pete dying in his arms.

Artie will save the day and hope that it all works out. He is determined to not give up. However, the losses – even though they have been erased – will haunt him forever.


End file.
